The Chicago River, once treated as an open sewer, has become a catalyst for development, including the construction of riverfront housing, but it will take decades to undo the mistreatment and lack of planning that have marred this key artery that slices through downtown. A new stretch of riverwalk, five blocks along Wacker Drive, between State and Franklin streets, that’s opening next month is a step forward.
The paved stretch will have railings and benches and later in the summer, an open-air market. It’s a far cry from the sort of grand vision Mayor Daley has sketched for the riverwalk, promoting it as an amenity that will rival San Antonio’s. But with each new piece of this snaking puzzle, from new stretches of riverwalk like this one to new private developments like River Bend, the city moves a little closer to realizing the potential of a civic asset without which Chicago wouldn’t be here.
Get a fresh taste of the river (not literally; we don’t recommend that), at the Friend’s of the Chicago River’s new McCormick Tribune Bridgehouse & Chicago River Museum opening on June 10 in the southwest tower of the Michigan Avenue bridge.